Making one’s way into the Chicago Loop Synagogue isn’t merely a matter of opening the front door.
First, visitors must ring a doorbell and talk to a receptionist at an office desk. After making their way into the foyer, they buzz another doorbell for entrance. Then, they have to pass through a metal detector scan.
“We have people from all over the world who come here. When they're downtown and they want a place to pray, they come to us,” synagogue President Lee Zoldan said. “You never know who's going to show up. That's why we're here, is to serve them.”
In order for the synagogue to focus on that mission of service and remain a spot of refuge in this city’s busy downtown, Zoldan said she has to keep a watchful eye.
Jewish, Muslim and Arab American communities have experienced increased threats since the beginning of the war in Gaza. As the one-year mark since the Hamas-led attack on Israel approaches, American Jews and Muslims are preparing special services and memorials to honor lives lost and pray for an end to the violence. Across the country, mosques and synagogues are paying special attention to ways they can strengthen security for their members heading into Oct. 7.
“Virtually every synagogue has been in touch with local police,” said Nathan Diament, public policy director of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America. “They're going to have increased patrols, both by police and also by volunteers. We just want to make sure that everybody's safe.”
On Oct. 4, the FBI issued an alert, warning that “violent extremists and hate crime perpetrators” may view Oct. 7 “as an opportunity to conduct an attack or other high-profile, illegal activity.”
“Online messaging associated with (foreign terrorist organizations) and other violent extremists highlighting the one-year anniversary of the October 7 attacks could motivate threat actors across ideologies, including those who espouse violent anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, to engage in violence,” the FBI warned.
The Chicago Loop Synagogue has experienced hate crimes before. It was attacked in 2017, when vandals smashed the building’s front window and pasted swastikas on the entrance.
“We've always been very security conscious,” Zoldan said. “I mean, we have to be.”
In addition to the front entrance setup, the synagogue requires guests to call in advance before visiting. Beyond these safety measures, Zoldan declined to fully flesh out the Chicago Loop Synagogue’s security measures.
“There are numerous other systems that we have that would be considered best practices for any synagogue,” Zoldan said. “We're always looking at what are best practices for security, but I think we do everything that we possibly can. I'm comfortable that we're doing the right thing.”
Zoldan stays in regular contact with local and federal agencies like the Cook County Sheriff Police, Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Justice to update the synagogue’s security strategies.
After the Oct. 7 attack and war in Gaza that followed, the Department of Homeland Security offered resources and information for faith leaders to help keep their communities safe.
Among them were recommendations like training greeters on deescalation techniques, evaluating vulnerabilities in their buildings and pursuing grants to provide new resources for security.
In 2005, Congress authorized the federal Nonprofit Security Grant Program. This year, they allocated $675 million to the program — more than 20 times the amount they gave originally.
Mosques in the Chicago area are also taking precautionary steps ahead of Oct 7. In September, the Council on American-Islamic Relations called for an investigation after the discovery of what appeared to be bullet holes at the Muslim Community Center, one of the city’s oldest mosques.
“Other suburbs of Chicago are a little bit luckier just because they might have really large Muslim populations or have sometimes better relationships with police,” said Maggie Slavin, operations manager at CAIR-Chicago. “But I know in the city of Chicago, getting CPD to work with us has been extremely challenging.”
CAIR works with more than 30 mosques in the Chicago area. According to Slavin, local Muslims generally do not feel that police follow through on their requests for extra help.
“A lot of people would like to see some added layer, and so we're kind of turning to private security because we were not able to always get in with local police departments and get them to take us seriously,” Slavin said.
The Chicago Police Department declined a request for an interview. In a statement, the CPD told NPR, “As always, we are monitoring all activity and while there is no actionable intelligence at this time, we will have an increased police presence to ensure the city’s faith communities are not only safe, but feel safe.”
As the conflict in the Middle East escalates, the Orthodox Union’s Diament said he sees the safety of all faith communities as connected.
“Every group has to enjoy that religious freedom and be able to exercise their faith without fear,” Diament said. “If one group has their religious freedom threatened, then it's really undermining the principle of religious freedom for people.”
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